User Engagement and Experience Librarian in High Wycombe

Salary: £33,951 - £37,694. Full time – High Wycombe. We’re not trying to fit in with the higher education status quo. We’re challenging it. We’re doing things differently because our students, our staff and our world need us to. This is an exciting moment to join us. We’re boldly reimagining what a university can be: a place rooted in social mobility, a community where difference is celebrated, and an institution that empowers people to become more than they thought possible.

We’re looking for a student-focused professional to join Library and Learning Services as our User Experience and Engagement Librarian. This newly created role will lead engaging and inclusive activities that help students connect with our services, resources and spaces, while also overseeing the day-to-day delivery of first-line library services. We seek someone who combines strong operational skills with creativity, initiative and a genuine commitment to excellent user experience, and who can use feedback and data to improve services in practical and meaningful ways.

What We Offer

• A generous holiday entitlement (30 days per annum, plus bank holidays and closure days)
• Hybrid working (dependent on business needs)
• Training and development support opportunities
• Contributory pension scheme
• Free gym membership for our on-site gym
• A range of staff discounts with major retailers

We are a diverse community and a strong track record of diversity, equity and inclusion. We are committed to promoting an inclusive and diverse workplace and aim to build an environment where everyone thrives and can be themselves. We particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in our workforce, including people from global majority backgrounds, people with disabilities and LGBTQI+ people, especially in more senior roles. If you require any adjustments or support during the recruitment process, please let us know. We are happy to discuss reasonable adjustments that would enable you to perform to the best of your abilities.

Job Purpose

Our User Experience and Engagement Librarian will develop an innovative range of activities and initiatives to engage our students in Library and Learning Services, ensuring they receive the best possible experience. With operational oversight of our first-line services and spaces, they will ensure they are safe, welcoming and inclusive, reviewing data and feedback to continually improve our service delivery. They will practice an inclusive approach and support building an inclusive university community where people can be themselves.

Main Duties & Responsibilities Of The Role

• Work with the Library Engagement team to develop and run engagement and outreach activities, building connections with our user groups to understand their needs with a particular focus on students.
• Develop effective feedback mechanisms using formal and informal channels, collaborating with the wider team to develop and implement action plans and ensuring we close the feedback loop.
• Develop creative and innovative approaches to the communication and promotion of Library and Learning Services to key stakeholders to drive engagement and increase awareness of services and resources.
• Ensure high quality user experience through contributing to the development of procedures and processes, training staff to deliver our services.
• Supervise the operational delivery of library circulation and first-line enquiry services.
• Have operational responsibility for the library environment, ensuring the spaces are safe, inclusive and welcoming with accurate and timely information provided to key stakeholders.
• Support all library users in their use of the Library’s resources, spaces and services, acting as a point of referral for complex circulation and library account enquiries.
• While based at one campus, the post holder will be expected to work at other campuses at least once per week.
• Contribute to the delivery of Library and Learning Services’ evening and weekend staffing rota.
• Comply with relevant legislative and other requirements (e.g., Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR; Health and Safety; UKVI; Equality and Diversity) in all working practices.
• Perform other duties temporarily or on a continuing basis, as may reasonably be required.
• Supervisory duties including motivating and supporting team members, giving direction and feedback, ensuring adequate staffing cover and having an agile approach to change.

Person Specification

Education, Qualifications & Training

• Educated to degree level or equivalent.

Knowledge & Experience

• Experience working in an academic library or learning support function within HE or FE.
• Experience delivering excellent customer experience, including developing services to meet customer needs and assessing the impact of improvements.
• Experience supervising staff, agreeing objectives, organising and delegating tasks and giving feedback.
• Experience of writing engaging web content to provide service information, support customers or promote services.
• Experience identifying problems and using initiative and creativity to find practical and suitable solutions.
• Experience presenting complex information and concepts to a range of different audiences.
• Knowledge of the current trends in UK HE libraries, including new and emerging technologies.

Skills

• Digitally able and proficient in Microsoft tools, library management systems and library resources.
• Ability to plan, organise and prioritise own workload and work effectively under pressure to meet required deadlines.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team to deliver a shared objective.
• Ability to collate and analyse qualitative and quantitative data from a range of sources to identify trends and inform data-driven decision making.
• Ability to exercise initiative and solve problems.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

Special Requirements

• Evening and weekend working on a rota basis based on service need.
• Ability to travel to all sites as required.

Behavioural Indicators

• Developing Self And Others: Showing commitment to own ongoing professional development. Supporting and encouraging others to develop their professional knowledge, skills and behaviours to enable them to reach their full potential.
• Delivering excellent service: Providing the best quality service to external and internal customers/students/stakeholders. Building genuine and open long-term relationships to drive up customer service standards.
• Finding solutions: Taking a holistic view and working enthusiastically to analyse problems and develop workable solutions. Identifying opportunities for innovation.

Closing and Interview Dates

• Closing Date: 19th July
• Interview Date: Week commencing 3rd August

Visa Sponsorship

Due to the salary for this post, we can’t offer visa sponsorship to the successful candidate.

Disability Confidence

BNU is a Disability Confident employer and will give you the opportunity to declare a disability as part of the application process.

Equal Opportunities

We are proud to have a diverse community and a strong track record of diversity, equity and inclusion. We are committed to promoting an inclusive and diverse workplace and aim to continue building an environment where everyone thrives and can be themselves.